The present invention relates to a support device for supporting a portable device which a user can hold in hand, and a device support system including such a portable device and a support device.
There are conventional systems including a portable device, such as a portable telephone, which a user can hold in hand, and a cradle used for purposes such as charging the portable device. For example, Japanese Patent No. 4601925 discloses a cradle capable of charging a portable telephone. A cartridge, together with a portable telephone, can be attached to the cradle, and the cradle is capable of copying a game program stored in the cartridge to the portable telephone.
When charging the portable telephone, the terminal of the portable telephone and the terminal of the cradle need to be in contact with each other, and the portable telephone therefore needs to be attached to an appropriate position with respect to the cradle. Therefore, the cradle described in Japanese Patent No. 4601925 includes a guide plate in accordance with the shape of the portable telephone (see FIG. 1). Since the guide plate is formed with a width in accordance with the lateral length of the portable telephone, when the portable telephone is attached to the cradle, the portable telephone is attached to an appropriate position with respect to the cradle without being misaligned in the left/right direction. Therefore, the terminals of the portable telephone and the cradle are reliably brought into contact with each other, thus reliably charging the portable telephone.
However, with such a method as described in Japanese Patent No. 4601925 in which the position at which the portable telephone is attached is determined by the guide plate, the size of the cradle increases due to the guide plate. Particularly, in recent years, the screen, etc., of portable devices have been enlarged, and more devices are larger themselves. If the portable devices themselves are larger, the guide plate of the cradle also needs to be larger, resulting in a very large size of the cradle itself. Moreover, the positioning is more difficult to achieve.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a support device and a device support system with which the positioning of a portable device to a support device can be easily done with a simple configuration.
The present invention employs the following configurations (1) to (10) to attain the object mentioned above.
(1)
An example of the present invention is a device support system including a portable device, and a support device for supporting the portable device.
The portable device includes a housing and a first terminal. The housing is a generally plate-shaped housing with a hole formed therein. The first terminal is provided on a surface of the housing on which the hole is formed.
The support device includes a second terminal, a support member, and a rotating member. The second, terminal can be connected to the first terminal. The support member supports a predetermined surface of the housing when the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to each other. The rotating member can rotate in a predetermined direction and which is provided at such a position that the rotating member is inserted into the hole when the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to each other.
The term “portable device” as used herein includes any device that is portable, such as a portable game device, and a portable telephone, as well as a terminal device of the embodiment to be described below. The term “portable” as used herein refers to such a size that it can be held in hand and moved around by a user, or it can be rearranged to any position.
The terms “first terminal” and “second terminal” include charging terminals for supplying power from one device to the other device, communication terminals (connectors) for exchanging information (data), etc.
With the configuration (1) above, if the hole of the portable device is misaligned with the rotating member of the support device when the portable device is connected to the support device, the rotating member rotates to thereby correct the position of the portable device for proper connection. Thus, since the portable device is supported by the support device while (a portion of) the rotating member is inserted into the hole, the first terminal of the portable device and the second terminal of the support device are reliably connected to each other. Therefore, even if the user does not accurately place the portable device with respect to the support device, they can easily be connected to each other. With the configuration (1) above, the portable device can be easily positioned with respect to the support device by a simple configuration with the hole of the portable device and the rotating member of the support device, without using such a guide plate as that of conventional systems. With the configuration (1) above, since such a guide plate as that of conventional systems is not used, portable devices of various shapes and sizes can be connected to the support device, and it is possible to provide a versatile support device.
(2)
The support member may support the housing so that the predetermined surface of the housing is placed along a predetermined support surface. In this case, the rotating member can rotate in a direction parallel to the support surface.
The term “support surface” is a surface on which a predetermined surface of the housing is located when the portable device is connected to the support device. While the support surface is formed by a surface (the wall portion 211a) of the support member 211 (that is, the support member supports the predetermined surface of the housing by a surface) in the embodiment to be described below, the support surface may be formed with any configuration. For example, the support member may support a certain surface of the housing at a point by a bar-shaped member.
With the configuration (2) above, since the support member places the predetermined surface of the housing along the support surface, it can position the portable device with respect to a direction vertical to the support surface. With respect to a direction parallel to the support surface, the portable device slides as the rotating member rotates in the direction, thereby correcting the position of the portable device. Therefore, the support device can reliably position the portable device.
(3)
The support member may include a groove portion into which a portion of the housing is inserted when the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to each other. The groove portion extends in a direction parallel to the support surface.
With the configuration (3) above, since the support member supports the portable device by the groove portion extending in a direction parallel to the support surface, it is possible to reliably position the portable device with respect to a direction perpendicular to that direction.
(4)
The rotating member may be provided so that a portion thereof projects from a bottom surface of the groove portion.
With the configuration (4) above, the rotating member is provided on the bottom of the groove portion. Therefore, if the hole of the portable device is misaligned with the rotating member when the portable device is placed onto the support device from above, a peripheral portion of the hole of the housing lies on the rotating member. As a result, the rotating member rotates, and it is possible to reliably correct the position of the portable device.
(5)
The hole is formed on a lower side surface of the housing. In this case, at least two rotating members are provided side by side with each other in the predetermined direction.
With the configuration (5) above, since the rotating members are provided at least in two positions, if the hole of the portable device is misaligned with the rotating member, the bottom surface of the portable device can be in contact only with the rotating members. Then, the portable device can be moved more smoothly by means of the rotating members.
(6)
The portable device may further include a display section provided on a front side of the housing. In this case, the support member supports a back surface of the housing.
With the configuration (6) above, the portable device including the display section can be supported so that the display section can be viewed.
(7)
The housing may be in a horizontally-elongated plate shape. In this case, the first terminal and the hole are provided on a side surface along a long side.
With the configuration (7) above, the support device can support the portable device in a landscape position. With configuration (7) above, since it is not necessary to use a large support device even when supporting the portable device in a landscape position, it is particularly advantageous to employ the configurations (1) to (6) above.
(8)
The hole is formed so that the hole can engage with a predetermined additional device which is different from the support device.
With the configuration (8) above, the portable device can be connected to the additional device by engaging the additional device with the hole. The hole of the portable device is used for the positioning when connecting with the support device, and also used for connecting with the additional device. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of holes provided in the housing of the portable device to thereby simplify the shape of the housing.
(9)
The second terminal may be a charging terminal for supplying power to the portable device.
With the configuration (9) above, it is possible to charge the portable device while supporting the portable device by means the support device.
In another example of the present invention, the present invention may be provided as a support device having the configurations (1) to (9) above.
According to the present invention, the support device includes a rotating member, whereby if the position of the portable device is shifted from the proper position, the position of the portable device is corrected by the rotating member for proper connection. Thus, it is possible to position the portable device with respect to the support device with a simple configuration.
These and other features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.